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EDITORS’ NOTES

With this 1985 album, Dire Straits frontman/producer Mark Knopfler created an enduring rock manifesto. It’s smooth, well-crafted, and filled with sharp wit and social commentary: The super-catchy “Money for Nothing” skewers the idea of pop stardom while simultaneously embracing it, the moody title song tackles the ridiculousness of war, and the poppy “Walk of Life” uses a street busker’s story to make a bigger statement. It’s diverse, too—“Ride Across the River” blends blues, Latin, and Caribbean music while “Your Latest Trick” touches on jazz.

Brothers In Arms

EDITORS’ NOTES

With this 1985 album, Dire Straits frontman/producer Mark Knopfler created an enduring rock manifesto. It’s smooth, well-crafted, and filled with sharp wit and social commentary: The super-catchy “Money for Nothing” skewers the idea of pop stardom while simultaneously embracing it, the moody title song tackles the ridiculousness of war, and the poppy “Walk of Life” uses a street busker’s story to make a bigger statement. It’s diverse, too—“Ride Across the River” blends blues, Latin, and Caribbean music while “Your Latest Trick” touches on jazz.

Ratings and Reviews

4.7 out of 5

259 Ratings

259 Ratings

More than just Money for Nothing

Dec 18, 2008

Knutty4Knopfler

I did not live through the 80's (thank God) but I know from listening to my dad's CD's that not all of the music that came out of that period deserves to be remembered, or in fact ever played again. However, Dire Straits' Brothers In Arms is a major exception.

Most people take one look at this album, buy "Money for Nothing" (and maybe "So Far Away" or "Walk of Life") and leave. They don't know what they're missing. Yes, "Money for Nothing" 's instantly appealing guitar riff is irresistable, but there's also the suave and intelligent jazz of "Your Latest Trick," the mystically atmospheric "Ride Across the River," and the appetizing blend of folk and rock in "The Man's Too Strong." "One World" is perhaps the most underrated song in the mix - it rocks almost as hard as "Money for Nothing." Except for the overly lengthy and rather boring "Why Worry," every song here is great.

However, the best track on the album comes at the end. Words can barely describe this one. Mark Knopfler's guitar sings a profound song of war, loss, and redemption in one of the most beautiful, triumphant, yet tragic songs ever crafted. If only for "Brothers In Arms," you should buy this album.

More than just Money for Nothing

Dec 18, 2008

Knutty4Knopfler

I did not live through the 80's (thank God) but I know from listening to my dad's CD's that not all of the music that came out of that period deserves to be remembered, or in fact ever played again. However, Dire Straits' Brothers In Arms is a major exception.

Most people take one look at this album, buy "Money for Nothing" (and maybe "So Far Away" or "Walk of Life") and leave. They don't know what they're missing. Yes, "Money for Nothing" 's instantly appealing guitar riff is irresistable, but there's also the suave and intelligent jazz of "Your Latest Trick," the mystically atmospheric "Ride Across the River," and the appetizing blend of folk and rock in "The Man's Too Strong." "One World" is perhaps the most underrated song in the mix - it rocks almost as hard as "Money for Nothing." Except for the overly lengthy and rather boring "Why Worry," every song here is great.

However, the best track on the album comes at the end. Words can barely describe this one. Mark Knopfler's guitar sings a profound song of war, loss, and redemption in one of the most beautiful, triumphant, yet tragic songs ever crafted. If only for "Brothers In Arms," you should buy this album.

Not the best

Jun 24, 2009

jamesmccurdy1

Brothers In Arms is overrated. Walk of Life is the WORST Dire Straits tune EVER penned. If I ever hear it again, I will poke out my eardrums. Unfortunately, it became a stadium anthem and just a pop hit that somehow resonated. Money for Nothing is OK, but redundant, and the rest of the record is forgettable for a Dire Straits effort. In their catalog, this is a less than stellar effort. Not worse than On Every Street, but certainly nowhere near their Eponymous debut, Communique, Making Movies or Love over Gold. It was jazzed up for the 80s and unfortunately got popular but never had the soul and grit of the first releases. Mark Knopfler's current solo work is SO much better to listen to for the real sound and soul of the man and his real band - Dire Straits.

Not the best

Jun 24, 2009

jamesmccurdy1

Brothers In Arms is overrated. Walk of Life is the WORST Dire Straits tune EVER penned. If I ever hear it again, I will poke out my eardrums. Unfortunately, it became a stadium anthem and just a pop hit that somehow resonated. Money for Nothing is OK, but redundant, and the rest of the record is forgettable for a Dire Straits effort. In their catalog, this is a less than stellar effort. Not worse than On Every Street, but certainly nowhere near their Eponymous debut, Communique, Making Movies or Love over Gold. It was jazzed up for the 80s and unfortunately got popular but never had the soul and grit of the first releases. Mark Knopfler's current solo work is SO much better to listen to for the real sound and soul of the man and his real band - Dire Straits.

One of the best 80's albums

Jun 28, 2009

JosephArthurFan

The musicianship in this work shows how far Dire Straits had come and what they could accomplish with their talent. This is definitely one of their best albums to date. You can argue, but you could be wrong.

One of the best 80's albums

Jun 28, 2009

JosephArthurFan

The musicianship in this work shows how far Dire Straits had come and what they could accomplish with their talent. This is definitely one of their best albums to date. You can argue, but you could be wrong.

About Dire Straits

Dire Straits emerged during the post-punk era of the late '70s, and while their sound was minimalistic and stripped down, they owed little to punk. If anything, the band was a direct outgrowth of the roots revivalism of pub rock, but where pub rock celebrated good times, Dire Straits were melancholy. Led by guitarist/vocalist Mark Knopfler, the group built their sound upon the laid-back blues-rock of J.J. Cale, but they also had jazz and country inflections, occasionally dipping into the epic song structures of progressive rock. The band's music was offset by Knopfler's lyrics, which approximated the winding, stream-of-conscious narratives of Bob Dylan. As their career progressed, Dire Straits became more refined and their new maturity happened to coincide with the rise of MTV and the compact disc. These two musical revolutions from the mid-'80s helped make Dire Straits' sixth album, Brothers in Arms, an international blockbuster. The band -- along with Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, and Steve Winwood -- become one of the leaders of a group of self-consciously mature veteran rock & rollers in the late '80s that designed their music to appeal to aging baby boomers. Despite the band's international success, they couldn't sustain their stardom, waiting a full six years to deliver a follow-up to Brothers in Arms, by which time their audience had shrunk significantly.

Knopfler (born August 12, 1949) was always the main force behind Dire Straits. The son of an architect, Knopfler studied English literature at Leeds University and worked briefly as a rock critic for the Yorkshire Evening Post while at college. He began teaching English after his graduation, leading a pub rock band called Brewer's Droop at night. By 1977, Mark was playing with his brother David (guitar) and his roommate John Illsley (bass). During the summer of 1977, the trio cut a demo with drummer Pick Withers. A London DJ named Charlie Gillett heard the demo and began playing "Sultans of Swing" on his BBC show Honky Tonkin'. Following a tour opening for Talking Heads, the band began recording their debut for Vertigo Records with producer Muff Winwood in early 1978. By the summer, they had signed with Warner in America, releasing their eponymous debut in the fall. Thanks to the Top Ten hit "Sultans of Swing," Dire Straits was a major success in both Britain and America, with the single and album climbing into the Top Ten on both sides of the Atlantic.

Dire Straits established Dire Straits as a major force on album-oriented radio in America, and their second album, Communique (1979), consolidated their audience, selling three million copies worldwide. As the group was recording its third album, David Knopfler left the band to pursue a solo career; he was replaced by former Darling member Hal Lindes. Like its predecessor, Making Movies was a sizable hit in America and Britain, even though the band was criticized for musically treading water. Nevertheless, the record went gold on the strength of the radio and MTV hits "Romeo and Juliet" and "Skateaway." Dire Straits followed the album two years later with Love Over Gold, an album filled with long, experimental passages, plus the single "Private Investigations," which became a number two hit in the U.K. The album went gold in America and spent four weeks at number one in Britain. Shortly after the release of Love Over Gold, former Rockpile drummer Terry Williams replaced Withers.

During 1982, Knopfler began exploring musical avenues outside of Dire Straits, scoring the Bill Forsyth film Local Hero and playing on Van Morrison's Beautiful Vision. Apart from releasing the Twisting by the Pool EP early in 1983, Dire Straits were quiet for the majority of 1983 and 1984, as Knopfler produced Bob Dylan's Infidels, as well as Aztec Camera and Willy DeVille; he also wrote "Private Dancer for Tina Turner's comeback album. In the spring of 1984, the band released the double album Alchemy: Dire Straits Live and by the end of the year, they had begun recording their fifth studio album with their new keyboardist, Guy Fletcher.

Released in the summer of 1985, Brothers in Arms was Dire Straits' breakthrough album, making the band international stars. Supported by the groundbreaking computer-animated video for "Money for Nothing," a song which mocked music videos, the album became a blockbuster, spending nine weeks at the top of the American charts and selling over nine million copies; in England, the album became the biggest-selling album of the '80s. "Walk of Life" and "So Far Away" kept Brothers in Arms in the charts through 1986, and Dire Straits played over 200 dates in support of the album. Once the tour was completed, Dire Straits went on hiatus for several years, as Knopfler produced records by Randy Newman and Joan Armatrading, scored films, toured with Eric Clapton, and recorded a duet album with Chet Atkins (Neck and Neck, 1990). In 1989, he formed the country-rock group Notting Hillbillies, whose sole album, Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time, became a British hit upon its spring 1990 release. During the extended time off, John Illsley recorded his second album; the first appeared in 1984.

In 1990, Knopfler reconvened Dire Straits, which now featured Illsley, Clark, Fletcher, and various session musicians. The band released On Every Street in the fall of 1991 to great anticipation. However, the album failed to meet expectations -- it only went platinum in America and it didn't crack the U.K. Top 40 -- and failed to generate a hit single. Similarly, the tour was a disappointment, with many tickets going unsold in both the U.S. and Europe. Once the tour was completed, the live album On the Night was released in the spring of 1993 and the band again went on hiatus. In 1996, Knopfler launched his solo career with Golden Heart. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine